Inspired to Innovate, Driven to Heal
First-Year Medical Student Alexis Chan Brings Patient-Centered Innovation, Sparked by Developing a Parkinson’s Writing Tool, to New York Medical College
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Before she even planned on becoming a physician, Alexis Chan, SOM Class of 2029, was working to improve patients’ lives through medical innovation. Now, she’s bringing that same pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit to New York Medical College as a first-year medical student.
While an undergraduate biomedical engineering major at Northwestern University, Chan teamed up with fellow undergraduate Izzy Mokotoff to develop SteadyScrib, a writing tool designed to counteract the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a debilitating central nervous system disorder that causes tremors and loss of motor skills. The inspiration for the project came from the cherished tradition of handwritten letters between Mokotoff and her grandfather, Pops, a tradition that was cut short when his advanced Parkinson’s disease robbed him of his ability to write.
“It all started one day when Izzy knocked on my door and started telling me about her grandfather's struggle with Parkinson's, which left him unable to continue his weekly handwritten letters to all of his grandchildren,” says Chan. “During that first conversation, we never imagined SteadyScrib would come out of it. I was just trying to help my friend, and I thought, I’m a biomedical engineering student, maybe we can do something.”
Yet, when they started to research practical solutions online, they found little. “There was a ton of funding and research going into drugs to treat Parkinson’s, but there was clearly a real gap in quality-of-life innovations for people with Parkinson's.” So, Chan and Mokotoff endeavored to develop their own tool.
They began working closely with Parkinson’s disease support groups and attended fundraising walks to speak with patients and their loved ones, gaining a deeper understanding of their needs. Chan even accompanied patients on neurology and occupational therapy appointments to see the full picture of the challenges they faced. Pops, their inspiration, became their first beta tester, and he resumed writing his letters. Ultimately, more than 110 patients would help shape and refine the design of SteadyScrib.
At the start, Chan, who taught herself metal welding and 3D printing, built each magnetic pen and clipboard set meticulously by hand, adjusting the shape, size, weight, and texture of the grip repeatedly with feedback from patients, until the final prototype was developed.
“The three key features of the pen set counteract the three most writing-inhibitive symptoms of Parkinson's disease,” says Chan. “The magnets adhere to the clipboard to stabilize tremors. The pliable, triangular grip on the pen is very ergonomic, so it’s easier for people with manual rigidity to hold. Then the weighted core of the pen helps control micrographia, where Parkinson’s patients write smaller and smaller, by slowing down writing movement. Ultimately, we wanted to make it simple. You click a pen like you've clicked any other pen for the rest of your life, and you can write with it.”
Since beginning medical school, Chan has taken a step back from her biomedical startup, which launched in early 2024 with a waitlist of 3,800 individuals, but she stays as involved as she can. She also credits the experience of working directly with Parkinson’s patients during the development of SteadyScrib as influencing her career trajectory.
“I started college as an undecided major, and then I chose biomedical engineering, thinking that’s what I wanted to do,” says Chan, “but working with people with Parkinson's and being patient facing inspired me to go more towards the medicine route, though I still am interested that intersection of medicine and technology, and developing tools like this to help patients in a variety of areas.”
Since arriving at NYMC, she has already taken steps to put that goal into practice, creating adaptive technology to make day-to-day life easier. Chan founded Care 3D, a student club to explore how 3D printing can impact healthcare through hands-on projects, including supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and developing solutions to assist with everyday tasks at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, a clinical affiliate of NYMC.
One of Care 3D’s first undertakings is a shade cover for a tablet device that enables individuals to use their eyes to generate speech. “The device is a huge source of independence for people who, without it, can’t even speak,” says Chan. “But when it was used in the sun, like your cell phone, they couldn’t see it, so we’re working on a shade to cover the camera area. I approach these initiatives as patient-driven, patient-focused. What is the gap, and how can we help them?”
To mark Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month in April, she’s also planning an event at NYMC in honor of Pops, which will encourage people to write handwritten cards and letters to their loved ones.
At NYMC, Chan is just getting started. Guided by a passion for patient-driven innovation and collaboration, she is focused on turning empathy into action and ideas into practical solutions that improve everyday life for patients—one thoughtful design at a time.
